DOCSLIB.ORG

Youth and Climate Change

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Youth and Climate Change Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity MESSAGE From Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary Convention on Biological Diversity On the occasion of International Youth Day, 12 August 2008 For information only International Youth Day celebrates the potential of youth in molding our society for a better future for all. Today, we will hear from young people around the world about how they can harness ideas and commitment in advancing a better world for all, and to celebrate hope. Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, will be a pivotal component of such a world and is threatened by climate change. Therefore the theme of this year’s celebration – youth and climate change: time for action – is very relevant to the Convention on Biological Diversity as it highlights the urgency of action for sustaining life on Earth. Indeed, all life on Earth, from the tiniest microorganisms to the largest blue whales, and from the sparse arctic tundra to the vast tropical savannahs, needs committed human actions to ensure survival – and the survival of humans. Around the world, we witness significant implications of climate change on life as we know it. As a result of climate change, we see that: between 25 and 40 per cent of mammals in national parks in sub-Saharan Africa will become endangered; up to 88 per cent of reefs may be lost over the next 30 years in Asia; in the Amazon basin, more than 40 per cent of plant species studied could face extinction; in Indonesia, iconic species such as the orangutan could suffer as a result of the projected increases in forest fires; in Java, sea-level rise may destroy vast tracts of the coastal ecosystem. And the list goes on. The interconnectivity between biodiversity and climate change is therefore indisputable. Biodiversity loss is both a consequence of, and a contributing factor to, climate change. Seriously affected by climate change, biodiversity loss can also aggravate the challenges of climate change. Healthy oceans and healthy forests help address the climate- change challenges. While climate change is indeed an energy, economic, environmental and poverty issue, it is also a security issue. In addition to being a cultural and ethical issue, biodiversity loss also has environmental, economic, and security repercussions. Each level of society is responsible for the environmental integrity of the community .The world in which we are currently living, and the one that today’s youth will inherit, is a world that requires preparedness, risk reduction, adaptation and mitigation. It will demand that young people become fully engaged in important issues such as biodiversity and climate change, build networks and share experiences. Most importantly, it will demand that youth take action. The Convention on Biological Diversity supports opportunities for youth to develop key skills and contacts. In May 2008, in partnership with the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, it launched The Green Wave, a global campaign to educate children and youth on biodiversity and the need to reduce its loss. This campaign enables young people to make a tangible contribution towards both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Action, through education and tree-planting, is a key component of The Green Wave campaign ( www.greenwave.cbd.int) . Each year, the Convention on Biological Diversity also supports learning and networking opportunities for young people through its contributions to various local and international children and youth conferences. United Nations 413 Saint-Jacques Street, Suite 800 Tel : +1 514 288 2220 http://www.cbd.int Environment Programme Montreal, QC H2Y 1N9, Canada Fax : +1 514 288 6588 [email protected] In marking International Youth Day, I invite young people around the world to take a pledge to discover the biological diversity around them and explore ways to communicate their knowledge to others so that people learn the threat of climate change on this life sustaining resource but also use it to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change. These may sound simple steps, but added together can grow into a global effort to learn, use and sustain the biological diversity around us. Your action can be our biggest reason for hope. Montreal, 12 August 2008 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME in the AMAZON BASIN: a Typology for Research, Policy and Action
    IGARAPÉ INSTITUTE a think and do tank SP 47 STRATEGIC PAPER 47 PAPER STRATEGIC 2020 AUGUST ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN THE AMAZON BASIN: A Typology for Research, Policy and Action Adriana Abdenur, Brodie Ferguson, Ilona Szabo de Carvalho, Melina Risso and Robert Muggah IGARAPÉ INSTITUTE | STRATEGIC PAPER 47 | AUGUST 2020 Index Abstract ���������������������������������������������������������� 1 Introduction ������������������������������������������������������ 2 Threats to the Amazon Basin ���������������������������� 3 Typology of environmental crime ����������������������� 9 Conclusions ���������������������������������������������������� 16 References ����������������������������������������������������� 17 Annex 1: Dimensions of Illegality ��������������������� 17 Cover photo: Wilson Dias/Agência Brasil IGARAPÉ INSTITUTE | STRATEGIC PAPER 47 | AUGUST 2020 ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN THE AMAZON BASIN: A Typology for Research, Policy and Action Igarape Institute1 Abstract There is considerable conceptual and practical ambiguity around the dimensions and drivers of environmental crime in the Amazon Basin� Some issues, such as deforestation, have featured prominently in the news media as well as in academic and policy research� Yet, the literature is less developed in relation to other environmental crimes such as land invasion, small-scale clearance for agriculture and ranching, illegal mining, illegal wildlife trafficking, and the construction of informal roads and infrastructure that support these and other unlawful activities� Drawing on
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Landscapes in the Amazon and Congo Basin
    Sustainable Landscapes in the Amazon and Congo Basin ISSUE The Amazon and the Congo Basin are the world’s two largest remaining areas of tropical rainforests, covering 1.1 billion hectares. These forests have high levels of endemism and they harbor more than 200,000 million tons of carbon. Because they represent a large expanse of continuous forest, the Amazon and the Congo Basin exert a regional and global influence on climatic and rainfall patterns. Both ecosystems are also home to forest-dependent people (local communities and Indigenous People) with significant traditional knowledge of forests management. Sustainably managing the Amazon and the Congo Basin forests therefore remains a considerable challenge for humanity. Population growth, the extension of agriculture, energy development, mining and oil extraction, and the associated infrastructure to support this expansion are all placing increased pressures on ecosystems. Fragile governance and the absence of adequate institutions, policies, incentives, and land- use planning undermine the development of effective responses by Government and the private sector. More than 40% of the rainforest remaining on Earth Equally important, the Amazon plays a critical regional is found in the Amazon and it is home to at least 10% and global role in climate regulation. Amazon forests of the world’s known species. The Amazon River help regulate temperature and humidity, and are linked accounts for roughly 16% of the world’s total river to regional climate patterns through hydrological discharge into the oceans. The Amazon River flows cycles that depend on the forests. The Amazon for more than 6,600 km and, with its hundreds of contains 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, the tributaries and streams, contains the largest number of release of even a portion of which could accelerate freshwater fish species in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia's Boreal Forests
    Forest Area Key Facts & Carbon Emissions Russia’s Boreal Forests from Deforestation Forest location and brief description Russia is home to more than one-fifth of the world’s forest areas (approximately 763.5 million hectares). The Russian landscape is highly diverse, including polar deserts, arctic and sub-arctic tundra, boreal and semi-tundra larch forests, boreal and temperate coniferous forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, forest-steppe and steppe (temperate grasslands, savannahs, and shrub-lands), semi-deserts and deserts. Russian boreal forests (known in Russia as the taiga) represent the largest forested region on Earth (approximately 12 million km2), larger than the Amazon. These forests have relatively few tree species, and are composed mainly of birch, pine, spruce, fir, with some deciduous species. Mixed in among the forests are bogs, fens, marshes, shallow lakes, rivers and wetlands, which hold vast amounts of water. They contain more than 55 per cent of the world’s conifers, and 11 per cent of the world’s biomass. Unique qualities of forest area Russia’s boreal region includes several important Global 200 ecoregions - a science-based global ranking of the Earth’s most biologically outstanding habitats. Among these is the Eastern-Siberian Taiga, which contains the largest expanse of untouched boreal forest in the world. Russia’s largest populations of brown bear, moose, wolf, red fox, reindeer, and wolverine can be found in this region. Bird species include: the Golden eagle, Black- billed capercaillie, Siberian Spruce grouse, Siberian accentor, Great gray owl, and Naumann’s thrush. Russia’s forests are also home to the Siberian tiger and Far Eastern leopard.
    [Show full text]
  • Atlantic South America Section 1 MAIN IDEAS 1
    Name _____________________________ Class __________________ Date ___________________ Atlantic South America Section 1 MAIN IDEAS 1. Physical features of Atlantic South America include large rivers, plateaus, and plains. 2. Climate and vegetation in the region range from cool, dry plains to warm, humid forests. 3. The rain forest is a major source of natural resources. Key Terms and Places Amazon River 4,000-mile-long river that flows eastward across northern Brazil Río de la Plata an estuary that connects the Paraná River and the Atlantic Ocean estuary a partially enclosed body of water where freshwater mixes with salty seawater Pampas wide, grassy plains in central Argentina deforestation the clearing of trees soil exhaustion soil that has become infertile because it has lost nutrients needed by plants Section Summary PHYSICAL FEATURES The region of Atlantic South America includes four What four countries make countries: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and up Atlantic South America? Paraguay. A major river system in the region is the _______________________ Amazon. The Amazon River extends from the _______________________ Andes Mountains in Peru to the Atlantic Ocean. The _______________________ Amazon carries more water than any other river in _______________________ the world. The Paraná River, which drains much of the central part of South America, flows into an estuary called the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean. The region’s landforms mainly consist of plains and plateaus. The Amazon Basin in northern Brazil What is the Amazon Basin? is a huge, flat floodplain. Farther south are the _______________________ Brazilian Highlands and an area of high plains _______________________ called the Mato Grosso Plateau.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Use Planning in the Amazon Basin: Challenges from Resilience Thinking
    Copyright © 2020 by the author(s). Published here under license by the Resilience Alliance. Ruiz Agudelo, C. A., N. Mazzeo, I. Díaz, M. P. Barral, G. Piñeiro, I. Gadino, I. Roche, and R. Acuña. 2020. Land use planning in the Amazon basin: challenges from resilience thinking. Ecology and Society 25(1):8. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11352-250108 Insight, part of a Special Feature on Seeking sustainable pathways for land use in Latin America Land use planning in the Amazon basin: challenges from resilience thinking Cesar A. Ruiz Agudelo 1, Nestor Mazzeo 2,3, Ismael Díaz 3, Maria P. Barral 4,5, Gervasio Piñeiro 6, Isabel Gadino 3, Ingid Roche 3 and Rocio Juliana Acuña-Posada 7 ABSTRACT. Amazonia is under threat. Biodiversity and redundancy loss in the Amazon biome severely limits the long-term provision of key ecosystem services in diverse spatial scales (local, regional, and global). Resilience thinking attempts to understand the mechanisms that ensure a system’s capacity to recover in the face of external pressures, trauma, or disturbances, as well as changes in its internal dynamics. Resilience thinking also promotes relevant transformations of system configurations considered adverse or nonsustainable, and therefore proposes the simultaneous analysis of the adaptive capacity and the transformation of a system. In this context, seven principles have been proposed, which are considered crucial for social-ecological systems to become resilient. These seven principles of resilience thinking are analyzed in terms of the land use planning and land management of the Amazonian biome. To comprehend its main conflicts, challenges, and opportunities, we reveal the key aspects of the historical process of Latin America’s land management and the Amazon basin’s past and current land use changes.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Historical and Potential Future Deforestation on The
    Journal of Hydrology 369 (2009) 165–174 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Hydrology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhydrol The influence of historical and potential future deforestation on the stream flow of the Amazon River – Land surface processes and atmospheric feedbacks Michael T. Coe a,*, Marcos H. Costa b, Britaldo S. Soares-Filho c a The Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Rd., Falmouth, MA 02540, USA b The Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil c The Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil article info summary Article history: In this study, results from two sets of numerical simulations are evaluated and presented; one with the Received 18 June 2008 land surface model IBIS forced with prescribed climate and another with the fully coupled atmospheric Received in revised form 27 October 2008 general circulation and land surface model CCM3-IBIS. The results illustrate the influence of historical and Accepted 15 February 2009 potential future deforestation on local evapotranspiration and discharge of the Amazon River system with and without atmospheric feedbacks and clarify a few important points about the impact of defor- This manuscript was handled by K. estation on the Amazon River. In the absence of a continental scale precipitation change, large-scale Georgakakos, Editor-in-Chief, with the deforestation can have a significant impact on large river systems and appears to have already done so assistance of Phillip Arkin, Associate Editor in the Tocantins and Araguaia Rivers, where discharge has increased 25% with little change in precipita- tion. However, with extensive deforestation (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • IGBP Report 36
    GLo BAL I G B P CHANGE REP_ORT No. 36 The IGBP Terrestrial Transects: Science Plan The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme: A Study of Global Change (IGBP) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) Stockholm, 1995 LlNKOPINGS UNIVERSITET REPORT No. 36 The IGBP Terrestrial Transects: Science Plan GLOBAL I @ El E? CHANGE REPORT No. 36 The IGBP Terrestrial Transects: Science Plan Edited by G.W. Koch, RJ. Scholes, W.L. Steffen, P.M. Vitousek and B.H. Walker With contributions from 1. Burke, W. Cramer, C. Field, P. H6gberg, B. Hungate, J. Ingram, V. Jaramillo, C. Justice, M. Keller, S. Kojima, K. Lajthe, J. Landsberg, W. Lauenroth, S. Linder, J-c. Menaut, H. Mooney, 1. Noble, D. Ojima, W. Parton, D. Price, A. Pszenny, J. Richey, O. Sala, H. Shugart, C. Skarpe, D. Skole, R. Williams, X. Zhang The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme: A Study of Global Change (IGBP) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) Printed ill Sweden, Graphic Systems AB, Gbg 1995.27405 Stockholm, 1995 The international planning and coordination of the IGBP is currently supported by IGBP National Conunittees, the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), the European Contents Conunission, the National Science Foundation (USA), Governments and industry, including the Dutch Electricity Generating Board. Executive Summary 5 Preface 8 The Rationale for Large-Scale Terrestrial Transects 9 Types of Transects and Selection Criteria 12 Spatial Extrapolation and Modelling on IGBP Transects 15 The Proposed Initial Set of Transects
    [Show full text]
  • Carbon Dioxide Sources from Alaska Driven by Increasing Early Winter Respiration from Arctic Tundra
    Carbon dioxide sources from Alaska driven by increasing early winter respiration from Arctic tundra Róisín Commanea,b,1, Jakob Lindaasb, Joshua Benmerguia, Kristina A. Luusc, Rachel Y.-W. Changd, Bruce C. Daubea,b, Eugénie S. Euskirchene, John M. Hendersonf, Anna Kariong, John B. Millerh, Scot M. Milleri, Nicholas C. Parazooj,k, James T. Randersonl, Colm Sweeneyg,m, Pieter Tansm, Kirk Thoningm, Sander Veraverbekel,n, Charles E. Millerk, and Steven C. Wofsya,b aHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02138; bDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; cCenter for Applied Data Analytics, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin 2, Ireland; dDepartment of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 4R2; eInstitute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775; fAtmospheric and Environmental Research Inc., Lexington, MA 02421; gCooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309; hGlobal Monitoring Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305; iCarnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305; jJoint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; kJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109; lDepartment of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697; mEarth Science Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305; and nFaculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Edited by William H. Schlesinger, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, and approved March 31, 2017 (received for review November 8, 2016) High-latitude ecosystems have the capacity to release large amounts of arctic and boreal landscapes.
    [Show full text]
  • AMAZON RIVER BASIN Integrated and Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources in the Amazon River Basin
    ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES Office for Sustainable Development & Environment WATER PROJECT SERIES, NUMBER 8 — OCTOBER 2005 AMAZON RIVER BASIN Integrated and Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources in the Amazon River Basin INTEGRATED AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES IN THE AMAZON RIVER BASIN COUNTRIES: Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) EXECUTING AGENCY: Organization of American States/ Office for Sustainable Development and Environment (OAS/OSDE) LOCAL EXECUTING AGENCY: Organization of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (OTCA) PROJECT DURATION: 2005-2007 (PDF-B Phase) GEF GRANT: 0.7 US$ millions CO-FINANCING: 0.6 US$ millions UNEP/OAS: 0.15 US$ millions PROJECT COST: 1.45 US$ millions INTRODUCTION Negro, Xingú, Madeira, Tapajós, and Juruá subbasins. In terms The Amazon River Basin occupies the entire central and eastern of discharge, from a hydrological standpoint, an estimated 65% area of South America, lying to the east of the Andes mountain of the Basin’s total flows into the Atlantic Ocean comes from the range and extending from the Guyana Plateau in the north to Solimoes and Madeira river sub basins, originating in the Andes the Brazilian Plateau in the south. The Basin covers more than and comprising about 60% of the Basin’s land area. 6,100,000 km2, or 44% of the land area of the South American continent, extending into Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Most of the Basin is covered by tropical rainforest, accounting for Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The Basin has widely more than 56% of all broad leaf forests in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Amazon Wildfire Crisis: Need for an International Response
    BRIEFING Amazon wildfire crisis Need for an international response SUMMARY The Amazon rainforest, which is the largest ecosystem of its kind on Earth and is shared by eight South American countries as well as an EU outermost region, was ravaged by fires coinciding with last summer’s dry season. However, most of these fires are set intentionally and are linked to increased human activities in the area, such as the expansion of agriculture and cattle farming, illegal logging, mining and fuel extraction. Although a recurrent phenomenon that has been going on for decades, some governments' recent policies appear to have contributed to the increase in the surface area burnt in 2019, in particular in Brazil and Bolivia. Worldwide media coverage of the fires, and international and domestic protests against these policies have nevertheless finally led to some initiatives to seriously tackle the fires, both at national and international level – such as the Leticia Pact for Amazonia. Finding a viable long-term solution to end deforestation and achieve sustainable development in the region, requires that the underlying causes are addressed and further action is taken at both national and international levels. The EU is making, and can increase, its contribution by cooperating with the affected countries and by leveraging the future EU-Mercosur Association Agreement to help systematic law enforcement action against deforestation. In addition, as the environmental commitments made at the 2015 Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris will have to be renewed in 2020, COP25 in December 2019 could help reach new commitments on forests. In this Briefing 'Lungs of the world' Forest fires in 2019 International protection efforts Outlook EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service Author: Enrique Gómez Ramírez Members' Research Service PE 644.198 – November 2019 EN EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service 'Lungs of the world' Sometimes referred to as the 'lungs of the world', Amazonia is the largest tropical rainforest ecosystem on Earth (over 7.5 million km2).
    [Show full text]
  • Human Activity in the Amazon Answer Key
    Name Date Human Activity in the Amazon Answer Key The Amazon rain forest is rich in resources that are in high demand around the world. These resources often lie deep in the forest. This makes it difficult to transport these resources to other places where they can be easily exported to the countries that want them. A transcontinental railroad could transport resources more efficiently, but it also means developing areas of the forest that had previously been untouched. This level of development will affect the land cover that surrounds the railroad, which will alter the ecosystem and impact the livelihood of indigenous people. Using the map, Amazonia: The Human Impact, complete this worksheet to predict the effects the railroad may have on the surrounding ecosystem and neighboring indigenous territories. Part 1. Land Cover in the Amazon 1. What countries and territories are located in Amazonia? ________________________________Brazil ________________________________Peru ________________________________Colombia ________________________________Venezuela ________________________________Ecuador ________________________________Bolivia ________________________________Guyana ________________________________Suriname ________________________________French Guiana (territory) 2. Which country holds most of the rain forest? How much? _____________________________Brazil (60%) 3. Look at the lower right of the map for the land cover key. Use the large map and the land cover key to answer the questions below. a. Where are high-density evergreen forests
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution of Aboveground Live Biomass in the Amazon Basin
    Global Change Biology (2007) 13, 816–837, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01323.x Distribution of aboveground live biomass in the Amazon basin S. S. SAATCHI*,R.A.HOUGHTONw , R. C. DOS SANTOS ALVALA´ z,J.V.SOARESz and Y. YU* *Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, wWoods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, MA, USA, zInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais – INPE, Sa˜o Jose´ dos Campos, SP, Brazil Abstract The amount and spatial distribution of forest biomass in the Amazon basin is a major source of uncertainty in estimating the flux of carbon released from land-cover and land- use change. Direct measurements of aboveground live biomass (AGLB) are limited to small areas of forest inventory plots and site-specific allometric equations that cannot be readily generalized for the entire basin. Furthermore, there is no spaceborne remote sensing instrument that can measure tropical forest biomass directly. To determine the spatial distribution of forest biomass of the Amazon basin, we report a method based on remote sensing metrics representing various forest structural parameters and environ- mental variables, and more than 500 plot measurements of forest biomass distributed over the basin. A decision tree approach was used to develop the spatial distribution of AGLB for seven distinct biomass classes of lowland old-growth forests with more than 80% accuracy. AGLB for other vegetation types, such as the woody and herbaceous savanna and secondary forests, was directly estimated with a regression based on satellite data. Results show that AGLB is highest in Central Amazonia and in regions to the east and north, including the Guyanas.
    [Show full text]